Thanks for all the replies. And some of the comments here have indeed been the experiences I was told. Surprised that Etihad is the least favorite and almost every single review I read did mention about them running out of food. And I can fly out of either JFK or IAH/DFW. The type of plane matters. Would prefer only the A380 [ which I have flown in economy & is my personal favorite ] or the latest A350 [ which I have not flown but seems to get pretty good reviews]

So, on EK - how is the salad bar on the back ? Does it have snacks/sandwiches type of food or is it just nuts & chips ? Also , it appears that due to the sheer number of folks in business on EK - the service is not up to par . More like cattle class instead of a personalized touch. And the infuriatingly slow wifi is a bummer - wish there was a paid high speed option or similar. The lounges are more of an afterthought for me - so not an issue for me.

QR - the herringbone seat pattern in QR seems to get good reviews. Also, is Q-Suite standard now in business atleast from the US ? If so, then maybe QR is a better option than EK especially with their dine on demand and faster wifi & better in flight service.

EY - consensus seems to be they are to be avoided or a last resort option.

Ultimately - it would also boil down to pricing. If EK/QR are $6k in business and EY is $3k - then it really adds up to a group of 3 or 4. And EK/QR always seem to be cheaper from JFK than either IAH or DFW.